After a name change and an adjustment to not exceed speed limits, the odds are increasingly in favor of its European approval.

Almost a dozen of the 27 countries in the European Union have given national approval to Tesla's assisted driving system Tesla (now known as Tesla Assisted Driving or TAD, elsewhere Full Self-Driving or FSD). Finland has been the most recent, giving the green light this Wednesday, November 11, for Tesla customers in its country to experience this system.

The capabilities of Tesla's TAD are already known - similar to other known systems in Europe like Ford's BlueCruise or equivalents from Chinese manufacturers like Xpeng or BYD. These latter are already ready to market it in Europe as soon as legislation allows during 2027, starting with Germany and then spreading to the rest of the countries in the bloc.

Finland approves Tesla's TAD

In this way, Finland joins the other ten countries that have already given the green light to TAD: Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Greece has considered it in the past while other countries, like France or Germany, have been studying it for several months.

For the approval to be across the bloc, Tesla needs the vote in favor of the European Commission, a vote that could take place next December. There, it will need a qualified majority approval, which requires 15 of the 27 countries representing at least 65% of the population of the European Union. Some countries, like Sweden, have expressed opposition, although this could change in the future.

Still far from what it needs for approval across Europe

The reason for the change is simple: in addition to the renaming from FSD to TAD to avoid confusion (the same measure it took to market it in China some time ago), it has changed the settings regarding speed limits. That is, they have corrected the danger that previously existed of the Tesla traveling with the driving assistant (not truly autonomous driving as it needs to be supervised at all times) above speed limits, with the associated danger that also risks the driver (and responsible) being fined.

These 11 countries represent 15.52% of the total. It still needs approval from Germany and France especially, as together they represent 33.65% of the total. Spain and Italy, for their part, account for 24.13% of the entire European Union, so they also hold importance in any voting that requires a qualified majority. In Finland, there are between 8,000 to 9,000 Tesla vehicles compatible with TAD - the vast majority being Model 3 and Model Y equipped with HW4.

Many markets where electric cars are advancing have already approved it

"We want drivers to try it before winter arrives. They represent 0.3% of the entire vehicle fleet in Finland, so it is one of the reasons we can give the green light, the number of cars is small," explained Jukka Juhola, head of the transport authority in Finland (Traficom) to Reuters. This means that they should adapt to the system before using it again in the winter months when snow and frost are more frequent in northern Europe.

7 of the 11 countries that have given the green light are from central and northern Europe, precisely where electric cars have the largest market share compared to hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or traditional combustion engines. Now, if the EU vote were against, all these national approvals would become invalidated and the situation would revert to what it was before April of this year (before the Netherlands gave the green light, with RDW being a major ally of Tesla in Europe).

The Chinese offensive reaches ultra-luxury. In a macro event in Abu Dhabi, BYD presented a rival to Rolls-Royce and broke the world speed record with its Yangwang U9X.

If it seemed that some automotive segments such as the super-luxury cars or supercars were immune to the influx of Chinese brands in Europe, the BYD Group has shown otherwise. With a mega-event in the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese group launched, in a single weekend, a challenge to brands like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, or Lamborghini. Yes, they are also going after them.

BYD's Strike in Abu Dhabi: World Record and a Clone of Rolls-Royce

BYD's show in Abu Dhabi was spectacular. Four days of events (rumor has it that partly funded by local authorities) to celebrate the speed record of the Yangwang U9X achieved on the Dubai to Abu Dhabi highway (503.17 km/h recognized by the FIA and Guinness World Record) and to grandly present the Yangwang Altior, a compliant copy of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, but without the columns of the Parthenon on the front.

Spectacular stages at the foot of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai or at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Abu Dhabi, Fidel Castro-style speeches (for their length) by Stella Li, the global vice president of the company and the new "femme terrible" of the global automotive world, fireworks, mountains of canapés, 4x4 rides in the desert, gobsmacked journalists turned into necessary props, influencers from halfway around the world (200 flown in from China) complaining, rightly so, about the lack of opportunities to "create content" and an underlying message for good understanders: The tranquility in the ultra-luxury market is over.

Ultra-luxury, the Last Stronghold European Brands Thought They Were Safe

This market has always been a closed domain for European brands with a "heritage" of a century or a century plus. Rolls-Royce and Bentley, rescued from their debts and technological collapse by the "German enemies", Aston Martin and Maserati competing in the number of rescues throughout their history, Lamborghini, now also Germanized, Ferrari, which remains above good and evil, and a handful of artisans, called Pagani, Koenigsegg, Bugatti, or Rimac, have until now shared checks from magnates, sheikhs, YouTubers, and athletes with the "limited edition" that, from time to time, Mercedes (via Maybach or AMG), Porsche, or Alfa Romeo propose.

Well, that's over. With Yangwang's display of power in the Emirates, the global ultra-luxury market risks revolutionizing at the same level as the rest of the segments. BYD has proven it can make a Rolls for half the price with the Altior, a car that aside from the Spirit of Ecstasy, would easily pass as being born in Goodwood.

Sales Are Already Plummeting in China: Rolls, Bentley, and Aston Martin

"It's a Rolls from Temu," some will say. "Who wants a Rolls wants a Rolls and doesn't care about paying double," others will conclude. Okay, but so far, the declines this year in China for Rolls, Bentley, and Aston Martin are already at 30%. Is there a crisis in the Chinese market? Agreed, but there are also increasing sales of super-luxury models from Hongqi, Maextro (a brand resulting from the alliance of Huawei and JAC that will also include Maserati to continue having something to sell outside China), NIO, HiPhi, and Li Auto.

And the Italians aren't faring better, quite the opposite. Ferrari may have already sold all the Luce anticipated in China, but so far this year has sold half the cars compared to 2025. Lamborghini is facing over 60% decline and Maserati... has convinced 80% fewer Chinese customers despite constant price cuts to liquidate stock.

From the Gulf to Europe: The Next Destination for Chinese Luxury Liners

Perhaps the high-ranking Japanese executives will continue with their Century, now that they are a proprietary brand with cars imitating Rolls, by the way, and the presidents of the German multinationals will continue signing checks for a long S-Class, if the crisis doesn't prevent it, but what about the rest? If we go by the number of Chinese cars that are invading Emirati avenues, the Gulf will be, along with China itself, the first destination for these new luxury liners arriving from the East. And then... Europe.

They Are All Electric: Up to 1,000 km of Range and More Than 1,500 HP

These liners, by the way, have something in common with most of the cars arriving from China. They are electric. And yes, it's difficult for their traditional users to prefer an electric car over a gasoline car in this segment, but these machines, with battles of three and a half meters, can accommodate batteries capable of achieving between 800 and 1,000 km of range, and on their platforms hide up to four electric motors for which surpassing 1,500 HP is common practice, and electricity guarantees silence.

And for supercars like the Yangwang that has broken the speed record, the 2,000 and even 3,000 HP provided by their electric motors are a century ahead of Herr Piech's delusions, rest in peace, obsessed with 1,000 HP and 400 km/h of his W16. The U9X has broken two records in Abu Dhabi; the fastest electric car and the fastest car period. It's an absurd detail, because from now on, both records will go hand in hand until cars that run on flow capacitors are invented. They will come. And they will be Chinese.

Audi has lost momentum worldwide and needs to recover it. The brand could be plotting something unprecedented in its category, changing the battery of the A3 and Q3 plug-in hybrids for LFP technology from its smaller electric models.

Audi has published the results for the first nine months of the year, and they draw one conclusion: the brand's situation is complicated, so it is studying ways to boost the sales of its models worldwide, and the Australian market may hold an important key.

The pressure from Chinese brands with plug-in hybrids is becoming very difficult to withstand, especially when these manufacturers are betting on replacing the batteries of their plug-in hybrids, currently lithium-ion, with LFP. Thus, the four-ring brand could become the first premium manufacturer to have this battery technology.

Will Audi bring LFP batteries to its PHEVs?

Matthew Dale, product chief of Audi in Australia has focused on the Audi A3 e-hybrid and Q3 e-hybrid, the latter just went on sale in Spain, following the presentation of the brutal RS 5 in the country, pointing out that the brand is working on updated versions to "not launch an obsolete model".

Neither of the two models can be classified as obsolete, at least in terms of aesthetics and equipment, although they might be from a more technical point of view. For example, the battery. Australians from CarExpert point to a main reason to justify this move by Audi, which, we reiterate, is not confirmed: a PHEV has less electric range than an electric car and charges to 100% much more frequently, which suits LFP well.

It also tolerates frequent use of fast direct current chargers better, which the Group's 50 kW system already allows. Advantages of a chemistry that also has a significant drawback, and one well-known: it stores less energy per kilo than current lithium-ion batteries and performs worse in cold.

There lies the big question for the A3, which boasts of being one of the plug-in compacts with the most electric range: if LFP arrives with the same battery space, will it maintain the 143 kilometers or will it sacrifice them?

What Audi hasn't said (and what doesn't quite add up)

Dale explained that hybridization is changing very rapidly and they don't want to bring a car to Australia only for Europe to launch another version three months later, leaving Australian customers outdated. It sounds prudent, but leaves several loose ends.

Sister brands are already selling the current 1.5 eHybrid system in CUPRA León, Formentor, and Terramar, in Skoda Kodiaq and Superb, and in Volkswagen Tiguan and Tayron, without anyone talking about obsolescence. And Audi has just expanded the Q3 range with a PHEV version with 204 HP that uses the same battery as the 272 HP variant, just the one that is supposed to become outdated.

It is also unknown whether the LFP will lower the costs of these cars: today, in Spain, the A3 e-hybrid starts at 48,300 euros and the Q3 e-hybrid with 204 HP starts at 55,611 euros, both with a 0 Emissions label. Until Audi or Volkswagen confirm anything, the LFP in the Group's PHEVs is a reasonable hypothesis, but it is still not news.

BYD is expanding its horizons for the future of small electric cars. After launching the kei car Racco in Japan, the future points to an even more compact vehicle, an anti Smart #2.

BYD is moving its pieces in the lower segments of the automotive market. After launching the first Seagull in China, its larger European version Dolphin Surf, and recently giving a new larger size to the second generation Seagull, “smaller things” are coming.

One of them we already know, and it is the kei car Racco for the Japanese market. We even predicted that this model could lay the foundation for a future small electric car for the European market, but perhaps we were wrong. And all after knowing one of the latest patents registered by the Chinese brand.

BYD could prepare an anti Smart #2

Although the patent was originally presented last December, it is now that the National Intellectual Property Administration of China has published the new design patent of BYD for a two-door microcar.

The patent leaves us, on one side, the design team behind the project, among which is the renowned Wolfgang Egger, designer in his day for the Volkswagen Group and who has been at BYD since 2017. And on the other side, the sketches of what appears to be a vehicle that could rival the recently launched Smart #2.

There are no specific technical specifications or official details that BYD is still working on a project of these characteristics. It could be a design exercise for the future of some of their models, or lay the foundations for a two-door microcar.

The sketches show us a small two-door urban vehicle with a symmetrical design language between the front and the rear, which seems to be smiling thanks to its light bars that span the entire width.

With such a low ground clearance, it is clear that its focus will be purely urban, with BYD's electric technology as the protagonist. But, are we facing a microcar capable of competing with the recently launched Smart #2 in China?

The latter measures 2.74 meters, but it remains to be seen if BYD will dare to venture into the segment of electric quadricycles, like the Citroën Ami or the FIAT Topolino, which measure 2.46 meters and are in a completely different category.

The BYD Racco feels “big”

When BYD announced its intentions to enter the competitive kei car segment in Japan, it did so alongside the Racco. A small electric vehicle launched to face the renowned Japanese brands head-on.

This Racco measures 3.39 meters, far from the 3.78 meters of the first Seagull, with a power of just 47 kW (64 hp) and a range of up to 210 or 320 km, depending on the version, in the WLTC cycle.

Currently, the smallest BYD in the lineup is the Dolphin Surf, which measures 3.99 meters long and has a WLTP range of up to 322 kilometers. That is to say, the Chinese brand has plenty of room to explore the arrival of smaller models, especially once in Europe, there should be a push for the sale of small electric vehicles.

Without a doubt, taking advantage of the development of models like the Racco or this potential new anti Smart #2 microcar would be the perfect excuse to bring them here to Europe. If it copies the characteristics of the latter, we would be talking about a vehicle capable of approaching 300 kilometers of range in less than 3 meters in length.

A template costing less than 15 euros can help you know the state of the timing belt of the PureTech engine. A quick check that doesn’t replace a full inspection but can save you thousands of euros.

Stellantis has put an end to the most promising gasoline engines it conceived but ended up causing significant problems for buyers, forcing some to get rid of their cars with few kilometers and time. It even caused major damage to the giant's image, which did not alter Carlos Tavares' roadmap.

But, in a turn of events, his successor not only introduced measures to compensate the victims, but Antonio Filosa has also apologized. A public apology rarely made by a manufacturer. However, there are still a significant number of PureTech engines that may be a source of problems, although they haven’t, so there is a small tool to know if you need to urgently go to the workshop or not.

What it is and what the PSA G-0109-6 template is for

You don’t need to disassemble the engine or go to the workshop to start suspecting the timing belt submerged in oil of a PureTech. You just need a small, cheap piece of plastic or metal that fits in your hand and can be bought at any spare parts store. It's called an inspection template, it's coded PSA G-0109-6 and usually costs less than 15 euros.

It’s a gauge. Its profile is designed to indirectly measure the width of the belt, which is the easiest symptom to detect that the rubber is degrading. If the belt swells from prolonged contact with oil, the template no longer fits. And if it doesn’t fit, you have a reason to go to the workshop before things go further.

How to use it, step by step

The best part is that you don’t have to remove anything. The belt is visible through the oil filler hole and you need to do the following to clarify any doubts:

1. With the engine cold, remove the oil filler cap.
2. One part of the belt is visible through that hole.
3. Carefully insert the template and place it over the belt following the inspection instructions.
4. If it fits well, the measurement is within limits. If it doesn’t fit, the rubber may have swollen and it’s time to go to a workshop for a check-up and, if necessary, replace it.

It’s a simple procedure, but take care: you are working on a part that, if it starts shedding material, cannot afford to let dirt or anything else in.

Why you need to watch that belt

The underlying problem is already known. The belt operates submerged in oil to reduce friction and improve efficiency, but that continuous contact is also its Achilles' heel. Stellantis technicians have tried every means to avoid damage to the belt by testing different grades of oils, but this has never worked because all lubricants contain detergents and other chemical agents that continued to degrade the belt.

Oils lose properties, for example, from habitual use in short trips, which accelerates the rubber's deterioration, first swelling, then cracking, and ending up shedding fragments. Those pieces go into the lubrication circuit causing a blockage in the oil pump inlet. When this happens, pressure drops, the moving parts stop receiving lubrication and the end of that story is well known worldwide

Stellantis replaced the belt with a more robust chain, and you can also find out if a certain engine has it by looking through the filler cap in the upper crankcase.

What the template doesn't tell you

Here comes the fine print, which always exists and should not be overlooked. The template only checks one thing, the width. That it fits doesn’t mean the belt is healthy: a normal measurement can hide other signs of deterioration.

That’s why the measurement must be accompanied by a visual inspection, looking through the opening the surface and edges of the belt as much as possible. If you see cracks or material remnants, it’s a warning sign even if the template fits easily.

And there is one more important detail. When the belt is already fraying, it’s likely that fragments have reached the lubrication circuit, so just changing the belt may not suffice. If there are clear signs of deterioration, the workshop should also check the oil pump suction tube and any other component affected by deposits, cleaning them or replacing them if necessary.

The British designer does not limit himself to highlighting the speed or talent of Fernando Alonso: he explains what distinguishes the best drivers and the reason why he places the Asturian in that elite.

Adrian Newey knows well what a driver needs to win in Formula 1. Throughout his career, he has worked with some of the greatest in history and has been able to see firsthand what distinguishes those who can make a difference behind the wheel.

This list includes great champions like Senna, Prost, Mansell, Häkkinen, Räikkönen, Vettel, or Verstappen. Now, after so many years facing Fernando Alonso as a rival, he has the opportunity to work with him at Aston Martin. And his assessment leaves no room for doubt.

«Fernando is, without a doubt, one of the best drivers of all time. And I believe that, as is the case with all the great drivers I have been fortunate enough to work with, probably one of the things that distinguishes them is their mental processing capacity that remains available.»

This already makes it clear that the British engineer's explanation goes beyond speed, steering sensitivity, or the ability to find the limits of a race car. For Newey, one of Alonso's great virtues is his ability to process information while driving, something that allows the best drivers to simultaneously manage numerous factors that affect their performance.

Driving a Formula 1 at over 300 km/h requires enormous concentration. One must control braking references, keep the car on the proper line, manage tires, and react to any changes in the car's behavior. All this while manipulating numerous parameters on the steering wheel or mentally processing strategic variables. However, exceptional drivers manage to make many of those actions not require all of their conscious attention.

«Obviously, you need a certain mental capacity to drive the car in the first place. But when we talk about really great drivers, you get the impression that all of that is somehow in the subconscious, which leaves the conscious part of the brain free to process everything,» Newey explains on the subject.

Alonso's ability to read races

This detail is especially important in a competition where information changes constantly. Tire degradation, car balance evolution, rival behavior, or strategic opportunities force the driver to interpret what happens and adapt their driving in a matter of seconds.

It is not enough, therefore, to execute the engineers' orders correctly or to reproduce a sequence of movements. The best are capable of understanding what is happening, anticipating what may occur, and altering their driving style to get the most out of the circumstances.

This is precisely the ability that Newey highlights in Fernando Alonso, whom he equates with the great drivers he has worked with throughout his career.

«That ability allows them to understand how the tires behave, how the race is developing, how they can modify their driving style to adapt to the car's balance at that specific moment, etc., etc. And Fernando, like the other great drivers, absolutely belongs to that category,» Newey reiterates.

The recognition holds special value because Newey does not speak of Alonso from a distance or solely due to his achievements. Both have spent many years competing from opposing positions but have always shown interest in sharing a team and working together.

In fact, they came very close to working together at Red Bull. Newey recalled that the Asturian could have joined the team in 2008 to contest the 2009 season, although the negotiations did not reach a successful conclusion. Subsequently, other approaches were also made that never came to fruition.

The willingness to collaborate was also present on Alonso's part. When he learned that Newey could leave Red Bull, the Spanish driver even contacted him directly to express his interest: «If you ever think you would like to take on a new challenge, I would love to work with you someday,» he told him.

That possibility eventually became a reality with the engineer's arrival at Aston Martin. And now, while they both work to try to take the Silverstone team to the highest level, Newey confirms that the admiration he has always felt for the Spanish driver had very solid foundations.

The role that China is playing in the transformation of the global economy is much greater than you think, with a direct impact on developing countries worldwide.

China is leading the advancement of electric cars, it's something we already know very well. But what stands out is that the Asian giant, which in the past was criticized (and still is) for the huge CO2 emissions from its industry, is drastically changing the way it does things.

Not only is it developing electric vehicles and batteries, China is gaining prominence thanks to massive exportation of clean technologies. A comparison that starkly highlights the reference Western countries.

China's strategy against the Western world

The world moves at different speeds, and countries with more difficulties need the action of the so-called developed countries to contribute to a global necessity: massive reduction of pollutant emissions.

While Europe and other Western powers base their policies through loans and private financing to combat climate change, China is doing things very differently. And it's something that the automotive industry has served as an example and whose results we are already starting to see.

The Chinese government has primarily promoted direct subsidies to its own clean technology industries: electric cars, batteries, solar panels… Thanks to this strategy, so debated in Europe and which has led them to speak of unfair subsidies, China has managed to reduce the costs of its technologies and ensure that its manufacturers dominate international markets.

What’s the result? Developing countries, with fewer resources, find it easier to adopt clean technologies by buying from China much more economically. And that is what is happening with electric cars.

Electric cars, the best example

Years of planning and public subsidies, but also of intense internal competition that has led its manufacturers to a brutal price war, are now translating into massive exportation of electric cars to these countries.

Ethiopia, Pakistan, and other emerging markets, according to Reuters data, have benefited from the arrival of electric cars. According to the agency, two-thirds of China's solar panel and cell exports were destined for developing countries in 2025.

And meanwhile, here in the West, protectionist measures against Chinese manufacturers continue to be imposed, with additional tariffs on the entry of their electric cars in Europe and a complete closure in the United States.

The contradiction of China

We all have in our minds the television images from a few years ago where Chinese cities were invaded by dense clouds of pollution. The present reality is contradictory, because the fact that in China more than half of the cars sold are plug-in is changing the reality there.

To give you an idea: according to other Reuters data, the Chinese clean technology exports we've seen earlier prevent about 257 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. This figure is very similar to all the emissions that a country like France has in an entire year.

Not everything is gold that glitters in China, far from it: although its exports help lower CO2 emissions worldwide, the Asian giant is still responsible for almost a third of all global CO2 emissions. There, for example, more than half of its electricity is still generated with coal.

The Spaniard dropped from eighth to 15th position in three laps after the contact. The lack of top speed from Honda made the comeback a much more difficult task.

Aston Martin found one of its best opportunities of the season in Interlagos. The wet conditions allowed the AMR26 to exploit its strengths in corners and Fernando Alonso managed to qualify eighth, a position that allowed him to aim for a top ten finish.

The Asturian had reasons to trust in his chances. For much of the race, he demonstrated that he could compete with theoretically superior cars, including Ferraris and Mercedes. However, an incident with Oliver Bearman in the early stages completely changed his prospects.

The international broadcast of Formula 1 did not clearly show what happened. Images subsequently released by DAZN show how the Haas driver lost control of his car in corner 3 and forced Alonso to perform an evasive maneuver that ended with both cars making contact.

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Bearman caused a drop of seven positions that Alonso struggled to recover

Alonso had managed to maintain the eighth position at the start, but found Bearman's Haas crossing in front of him. The Spaniard could not avoid the contact and had to momentarily leave the racing line to dodge it.

The consequence was immediate: he finished the first lap in 12th position, dropped to 14th in the second and reached 15th in the third. In just three laps, he had lost seven positions compared to his starting position.

Recovering that ground was not going to be easy. The Aston Martin had very competitive behavior in the twisty sections, but was still suffering from the main problem of the whole season: the lack of power and top speed of the Honda power unit.

Alonso himself explained after the race that the car worked especially well in corners but struggled a lot when it came to accelerating. "Considering what we lose on the straights, we could have gone a second faster per lap than the Mercedes,” he pointed out.

This circumstance particularly affected his recovery. To regain positions, Alonso needed to overtake, but the straight-line speed deficit prevented him from completing many maneuvers easily. It wasn't enough to be faster in corners if he couldn't capitalize on that advantage to pass his rivals afterwards.

Still, he managed to progress. On the seventh lap, he passed Carlos Sainz and, three laps later, he overtook Lewis Hamilton around the outside of corner 6. This allowed him to recover ground to position himself 13th, although he was still far from the eighth position he had initially occupied.

The lack of Honda power ultimately affected the result

From then on, Alonso's race became an exercise in recovery, with the time lost at the beginning affecting his chances of reaching the points zone. On lap 17, he entered the pits to change to soft tires and returned to the track in 12th place.

Minutes later, he passed Alexander Albon on lap 34, but Charles Leclerc managed to get by him. After another stop on lap 46, Alonso lost positions again and had to keep looking for a way to get closer to the top 10.

The rain returned in the final segment and the Aston Martin driver switched to intermediate tires on lap 60. The Spaniard was then in 12th position, which he could not improve during the final laps. He finished the race a lap behind the winner, Lando Norris.

The result was particularly frustrating due to the distance separating Alonso from the points. Nico Hülkenberg finished 10th with the Audi, while Arvid Lindblad was 11th. The Asturian crossed the finish line nearly 20 seconds after Hülkenberg and stayed two positions away from scoring.

Would Alonso have finished in the top 10 without the incident with Bearman? One thing is clear: he would have had an important chance to achieve it. The contact made him drop from eighth to 15th position and forced him to spend a good part of the race recovering positions that he had brilliantly gained the previous day.

The hit from Bearman did not need to cause a malfunction to seriously harm the Asturian. It cost him positions and time at the worst possible moment, and Honda's limitations did the rest.

A Ferrari F40 left an exhibition in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, and merged onto a road where a double-decker bus was driving. Fortunately, the bus driver braked in time.

A red Ferrari F40 nearly collided with a double-decker bus while leaving a classic car exhibition in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. Images spread in local media show how the sports car merges onto Repulse Bay Road as a bus from line 973 approaches. The bus driver braked hard and avoided the impact. At Motor.es we review the history of the Ferrari F40, the model that starred in this incident.

The incident occurred on Saturday, November 7, next to the hotel The Repulse Bay, which hosted the exhibition The Repulse Bay Motoring Classics. The official event took place that day between 14:00 and 18:30. The maneuver was recorded by spectators who were waiting for cars at the exit.

In the video, the F40 moves from a secondary road to the merge. The bus travels on the main road and has to stop when the Ferrari is already occupying part of its path. Afterward, the car continues the maneuver and drives away.

Passengers Lost Their Balance, But No Injuries Confirmed

Some local reports claim that two passengers on the lower deck of the bus lost their balance due to the abrupt stop and fell forward. However, the transport company Citybus stated that it did not receive reports of injured persons.

The bus was covering route 973 heading to Stanley. According to the statement from Citybus reported by Hong Kong media, the vehicle was near The Repulse Bay just before seven in the evening when another car emerged from an intersection with a yield sign. The driver braked and avoided the crash.

The exhibition had ended half an hour earlier, according to the schedule published by the hotel. Even so, fans were still waiting to photograph the vehicles leaving the venue. The images of the incident do not reveal what the F40 driver saw or whether he managed to stop before merging.

A Highly Coveted Model Among Classics

The F40 was introduced in 1987 to celebrate Ferrari's 40th anniversary. It was the last model approved directly by Enzo Ferrari and was produced until 1992. Its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 engine delivered 478 hp in the street version. The combination of lightweight body, supercharged mechanics, and limited production has made the model a highly sought-after piece for collectors.

The price of an F40 can vary greatly depending on its condition, mileage, and history. A specimen with less than 900 kilometers reached 1.6 million dollars at an auction in 2016, as we reported when covering the record sale of an F40. Another car of the model, owned by former driver Gerhard Berger, also went up for auction, though with a lower estimate, as explained in the news about Berger's F40.

Launched in late 2023, it has fallen far short of market expectations, in addition to accumulating more than a dozen recalls due to both software and mechanical issues.

Elon Musk has officially confirmed that Tesla will dismantle and halt the production of the Cybertruck at its Texas gigafactory. After years of languishing sales that are far from the excessive initial ambitions, the American firm throws in the towel with its stainless steel behemoth to reallocate its production capacity towards the Cybercab, the autonomous vehicle without steering wheel or pedals on which Musk is now articulating the technological future of the company.

At the time of its launch in late 2023, the Tesla capsule projected a sales volume of around 250,000 units per year through its different versions from the entry level to the top-of-the-line powered by three electric motors. Like many other cases in the history of the American manufacturer, reality has been very different from the projected narrative.

Elon Musk Confirms the End of His Tesla Cybertruck

In its first full commercial year, 2024, it achieved 38,965 deliveries, far from the target set, according to Kelly Blue Book data. In the past 2025 it was even worse, with just 20,237 units, not reaching a tenth of what was announced to the four winds four years earlier for that gigantic pick-up impossible to homologate in Europe, with that unusual stainless steel body reminiscent of one of Musk's great obsessions: the DeLorean DMC-12, which became an icon thanks to Back to the Future.

Many remember that Cybertruck presentation, where the supposedly armored windows ended up shattered live. It hasn't been the only problem for the controversial vehicle, as the relevant traffic safety authority in the United States, the NHTSA, has issued up to 11 separate recalls either for mechanical/reliability issues, which required physical repairs (in addition to software failures, resolved through OTA updates).

An Impossible Model for European Standards

Despite these figures, through his space on his X network Musk claims that his creation is "the best vehicle Tesla has ever made" (even considering the Model 3 and Model Y that lead electric car sales in Spain and many European countries) and labeled the cessation of production as "the end of an era." A vehicle with rigid steel corners "could neither could operate" under European homologation standards, as experts remind us.

In essence, in any regulatory framework where pedestrian safety has been taken into account, as Euro NCAP has done for decades, a vehicle like the Cybercab could never circulate like other cars. No matter how futuristic it may seem, without complying with current regulations, it would be limited - and, in the United States, it had another problem.

Electric Pick-Ups Have Not Worked in the US Overall

A downside for the Cybertruck is the simple fact that it has focused on the United States, where electric pick-ups never took off (nor really did electric cars except in certain states). Proof of this is the Ford F-150 Lightning which, despite selling more than its direct rivals, ended up being canceled at the end of the past 2025. "They all lost because BEV pick-ups are not popular in the US," remarked Felipe Muñoz from Car Industry Analysis.

The Cybertruck will remain in production at the Texas plant until mid-2027, continuing the same path as the long-lived Model S and Model X that made way at the end of last March for the humanoid robots Optimus. In the case of the Cybertruck, it will be in favor of the production of the Cybercab that began to roll out months earlier starting in Austin.

The Cybercab is at the Center of Another Issue with NHTSA

The Cybercab is also not without problems. NHTSA is investigating the robotaxi of which 570 units are already circulating in Texas. However, Tesla has not yet provided the answer that the government department has demanded, except for sending safety information in case of fires - information that is indeed useful for firefighters and emergency services but does not provide regulatory answers, in addition to being literally copied from its website.

In the other required documents, Tesla has kept the information confidential, but authorities want answers about how they have certified the vehicle without having a brake pedal operated by foot, a steering wheel, or rearview mirrors. The manufacturer wants to keep that information away from the public, but NHTSA has the authority to order a public version - although technically the Cybercab has not violated any standard in North American regulations.

The last Audi A8 has left the Neckarsulm line after more than thirty years and without a confirmed successor: the SUVs, led by the Q9, inherit the role of flagship of a model that should not have had such a bitter end.

It is now official. The four-ring brand no longer has any model to compete directly with the luxurious rivals such as BMW and Mercedes, because the Audi A8 has gone down in history for the German manufacturer. The last unit of this luxurious sedan, which has served as the flagship for 32 years, rolled off the assembly lines of Neckarsulm in early October.

The disappearance of the Audi A8 was not a last-minute decision, so to speak, but rather the result of disastrous management by various officials of the manufacturer, especially Markus Duesmann. An executive who will also be remembered for changing the names of iconic models like the Audi A6, whose successor had to fix the issue by delaying its market release.

The phased announcement of the end of the Audi A8

The Audi A8 has been the most prestigious sedan of the brand since its debut in 1994, and it has left without a successor. And it’s not that nobody saw it coming: orders in Germany were closed last February, without ever acknowledging the future of a model that has said goodbye without any ceremony, and perhaps it deserved one.

But Audi executives have only been responsible for designating an internal replacement. Within its internal circles, the role of the highest model in the range has been attributed to the new Audi Q9, which is already on sale in Spain. Outside of the company, it should not be said that this SUV is the replacement for the luxury sedan.

Although for some it may be the trend of the segment, traditional luxury sedans are not lacking as much. High-end manufacturers are betting on large SUVs, but that does not mean that the type of customer for the Audi A8 is reconsidering its position. What they will have to do is look to competitors for what Audi cannot provide, and that it will not be able to do for much longer.

Audi wanted a cutting-edge electric A8

In recent months, there has been more talk about a successor to Audi's most luxurious model, now pointing to the Panamera holding the key. An excuse not to take responsibility for a bad decision that leaves Audi completely out of play against both Porsche and the BMW Series 7 or Mercedes Class S, still more kings.

And all for an electric car like the ambitious Landjet that aimed to be as luxurious and technological as the A8 has been, even ceding part of its technology to the heir of the Bentley Mulsanne. But none of that has become a reality. The British have the electric car that they have always had in mind, but it has been provided by Porsche.

The history of the Audi A8 has ended in the fourth generation, a technological laboratory that was surpassed with each release, and that whatever it debuted ended up, sooner or later, in the rest of the range: the aluminum body, LED headlights, adaptive suspension, and assistance systems.

The four generations of the Audi A8, from 1994 to 2026

The first, which debuted in 1994, 32 years ago, became the first model of its category with a lighter aluminum body than conventional steel ones. The technique Audi Space Frame (ASF) was its major innovation, as was the 6.0-liter W12 engine that it introduced in 2001, a year before giving way to the second A8 in history.

The one that arrived in 2002 perfected the aluminum body, introduced the MMI multimedia system, and an adaptive air suspension capable of varying the body height according to the conditions. Those were the unseen innovations; the significant Single Frame grille marked the design of subsequent Audis, up to today.

The third A8 was presented in 2009, and it continued to evolve in all aspects, introducing a more modern design, a W12 engine of 6.3 liters and 500 HP, and entering the hybrid field. The range was also expanded with long-wheelbase variants, in addition to showcasing Matrix LED headlights, which adjust the beam to not dazzle other drivers.

Seven years later, the fourth and last Audi A8 arrives. It debuted in July 2017 and follows the same line of traditional design. But its technology took another significant step forward, not just with its 48 Volt MHEV engines. The active suspension becomes predictive, adjusting each wheel separately, while its driving assistants scale towards level 3 autonomous driving.

Equipped with the components for this level, the traffic jam assistant allowed giving up the steering wheel in certain traffic situations, but it was never activated due to regulatory issues. The final point of a model that perfectly embodied the commercial slogan of being at the forefront of technology.

The Audi A8, still a luxury model, guaranteed jobs

The farewell to the Audi A8 may not be important for the brand since, after all, it represented between 5% and 10% of its production. But for the Neckarsulm plant, it is indeed important because, with around 15,000 employees, it is left without a high-volume model to replace the A8, in the midst of restructuring of the Volkswagen Group. They are requesting the Q4 e-tron; whether they will be granted it is another matter. If not, a large part of those 15,000 will lose their jobs.

The world leader changes its structure, with some departments ceasing operations to integrate into others and some separating, as well as some position changes under the watch of President and CEO Kenta Kon.

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced structural changes within its framework that will take effect from January 1st. The most notable is launching its own robotics division, Toyota Robotics, as well as a new education and philosophy group to nurture new talents and pass knowledge and skills to a new generation - a group that will be personally led by Akio Toyoda.

Other departments, such as accounting or general administration and human resources, will disappear and integrate into a single group called Kanri (which means 'to watch' in Japanese). Others, like the carbon-neutral engineering development department, will disappear to integrate its functions within the power systems side, with the Frontier Research Center relocating to R&D and software development.

Toyota Robotics is Born to Continue Advancing in Humanoid Robots

Toyota Robotics aims to accelerate development related to robotics, considering it one of the key pillars for the future of the entire business. The goal - or at least that is what they officially state in a press release - is that these robots are not machines that take jobs from people, but that they are alongside them and can expand potential.

At the helm of this department will be Takefumi Shiga, global head of production as well as head of operations. This will allow personnel, experience, and robotics-related functions to expand throughout Toyota's operations, in order to accelerate the real application, commercialization, and deployment of robots in manufacturing locations - what the Japanese call genba.

Akio Toyoda Will Lead a Group to Maintain Toyota’s Philosophy

The group led by Akio Toyoda, on the other hand (while still maintaining his position as chairman of the board), will focus not so much on the manufacturing of cars or robots, but on the development of workers, a fundamental idea of his principle 'monozukuri'. The idea comes from Akio himself and will utilize his practical experience, all the lessons learned since he entered the company founded by his grandfather and the philosophy and skills of his predecessors.

In other words, a cradle of talent and individual skills development molded in Toyota’s own shape and supervised by one of the most influential figures in the automotive world. This group will also include Takanori Azuma (CEO of the Eastern Asian region and Oceania starting January 1), Hideki Fuji, and Yoshinori Ohno, who will also be the head of the Kanri group.

Subtle Changes for the Future of the Japanese Giant

Among other decisions from TMC, they have decided to separate two of their markets, India and the Middle East on one side, and East Asia and Oceania on the other. There are no substantial changes for Europe, with Yoshihiro Nakata remaining in charge as they await results from their negotiations with the EU to avoid being affected by future policies of the European Commission.

An interesting aspect is to see that in the department of external and public affairs functions of public relations for both Toyota and Lexus and Gazoo Racing are integrated. Thus, GR continues separating itself as a 100% sports brand - something we will see in the Rally World Championship next season, when Toyota Racing will run with one team (with the GR Celica Rally1 we have seen in tests) and Gazoo Racing Toyota with another (in their case with the GR Yaris Rally1, both sharing mechanics).

The Italo-French manufacturer admits to a supply problem that has halted the Mirafiori plant, a car that has already seen less demand than expected this year, while the Pomigliano plant is also expected to be affected.

Two of the most popular cars across Stellantis are currently experiencing production issues, according to spokespeople for the group. The FIAT 500 has not produced new units for several weeks due to supply shortages at the Mirafiori plant, the historic FIAT factory in Turin, a problem that is also set to impact the production line that makes the Pandina in Pomigliano d’Arco.

Just a few hours ago, the manufacturer itself, along with FIOM (Federazione Impiegati Operai Metallurgici, Italian Metallurgy Federation, the metalworkers' union there), admitted that the plant will remain shut down between the upcoming days of November 9-13. This implies that they have already gone four consecutive weeks with the machines stopped, although not exactly for the same reason.

Another week of stoppage for the production of the FIAT 500

In the second half of October, production of the hybrid 500 was halted due to lack of demand, a model that is not managing to regain the traction that the previous version had - which had to relocate its production to another place and to other markets as it did not meet current safety standards in the European Union. The leap to the electric 500 has not yielded the expected results either, which has also affected its sports brand, Abarth (among other factors).

But the stoppage in this first week of November and the next one is due to a lack of supply of a chip used in the engine control unit (ECU), explained a spokesman for the group. Another setback both for car sales and for all workers at Mirafiori.

According to Stellantis, the problem is a chip needed in the control unit

In the FIOM union, however, they do not see it the same way, Gianni Mannori, a union member, claimed that Stellantis is using the chip shortage argument as an excuse to extend the stoppage in the factories, thus avoiding potential repercussions, according to Reuters. Let us remember that working conditions in Italian factories are much more controlled and protected than in other European countries.

In the past, the group led by Antonio Filosa has been pressuring the Italian government to provide a solution regarding manufacturing costs - particularly energy costs - in their Italian plants, especially in the north (for example, Mirafiori in Turin). A direct challenge against Giorgia Meloni's government, while also pulling others with the European Union to relax regulations or make them more favorable for European manufacturers.

This problem could affect the Pandina, very successful in Italy

Let us remember that the 500 and the Pandina (to differentiate the evolution of the 3rd generation Panda from the current Grande Panda, manufactured in Serbia both as BEV and as an affordable combustion car) share the same engine. This chip is used in the N3 GSE engine control unit (the Firefly 1.0 atmospheric three-cylinder with 6 valves), being microhybridized (MHEV) in its BSG variant.

In total, three factories would be affected by this issue since these engines are manufactured at the Termoli plant and then sent to Pomigliano d’Arco for the Pandina and to Mirafiori for the 500. A plant where the Stellantis engineers are also collaborating with Leapmotor for a future generation of affordable electric cars leveraging technology developed in China.

Fernando Alonso confirms that Honda is already testing the 2027 power unit on the dynamometer. The Asturian is hopeful that the new project will allow to leave behind the problems that have affected Aston Martin's season.

The first year of partnership with Honda is proving to be much more complicated than expected for Aston Martin. The AMR26 has suffered significant performance and reliability issues, and the Japanese manufacturer has not been able to provide Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll with a power unit capable of competing on equal terms with their rivals.

The latest example of this situation came at the Mexican Grand Prix, where both drivers had to retire after completing barely five laps. Honda acknowledged that the cooling circuit of the ERS system had endured a load higher than anticipated due to the altitude, a new setback that once again highlighted the shortcomings of the project.

However, the Japanese manufacturer has been working for some time to make the situation different in 2027. In fact, Fernando Alonso has confirmed that the new engine is already being tested on the test bench.

«The engine department is aware of the problems and difficulties. They are testing a completely new engine on the dynamometer, it is a completely new project», revealed the Asturian driver.

Honda has therefore ruled out introducing another update to the current power unit and instead is focused on developing an engine from scratch. This decision was made after confirming that the design concept of the 2026 engine significantly limits its evolution capabilities.

Honda prepares two major steps for 2027

Alonso's confirmation comes after Shintaro Orihara, Honda's chief engineer in Formula 1, explained the Japanese manufacturer's development plans for the next season.

The intention is to introduce a significant first upgrade to the power unit at the start of the championship, although Honda does not expect to be on par with the best manufacturers yet. The goal is to reduce the performance gap and deliver a second, more significant upgrade around the eighth race, expected in June.

Combustion still remains one of the main weaknesses that Honda needs to address. It also needs to improve other aspects related to power delivery and hybrid system management, which have affected the Aston Martin throughout the championship.

In any case, Alonso conveys much more confidence when discussing the upcoming project than when analyzing the current situation. The Spaniard believes there are reasons to think that the team can make a significant leap, both due to Honda's work and the evolution of the chassis.

«I have to say that I have faith and confidence in next year. It will be, I repeat, a completely new project and the chassis is also moving in the right direction. We all have high hopes for next year and I know we can solve many things», he expressed.

Alonso accepts Aston Martin's anonymity while waiting to surprise

The two-time world champion has also reflected on the situation the team is going through and the lack of recognition accompanying a season without standout results.

Alonso knows that media attention and public recognition largely depend on results. A reality he has accepted during this period, convinced that Aston Martin will be able to draw attention again when it has the necessary tools to demonstrate its true potential.

«You only show people what you are capable of when you are on the podium or on television. That’s when they open their eyes and suddenly remember that you’re still on the grid. So now I am at peace with this period of anonymity where no one knows that we are still here and that we remain fast. We are preparing for the moment of truth, and that will be a surprise for everyone», he declared.

For now, that surprise will have to wait. Aston Martin needs Honda to transform the work being done in Sakura into a competitive and reliable power unit. The fact that the 2027 engine is already on the dynamometer is an important step, but there is still much development ahead before knowing if Alonso will have the project he has been waiting for years.

The first major novelty from Volkswagen for 2027 has a name: the new ID. Cross R-Line is already being prepared. A sporty electric SUV with 226 hp and over 420 km of range that you can see how it will be in this preview.

Volkswagen wants to open a new niche in the electric car market, although with an important nuance. The manufacturer is redirecting the business of its most iconic sports initials towards zero-emission models, already having two options in this catalog launched with the innovative ID. Polo GTI that has just gone on sale.

But the Germans also want to introduce more sportiness in their electric SUVs. They have done this with the innovative ID. Tiguan, and they will also continue with the newly arrived ID. Cross. This model has just started its journey and already has a sporty “brother” on the not-so-distant horizon to prevent one of its closest competitors, Spanish and platform sibling, from overtaking it.

The Volkswagen ID. Cross R-Line, the top sport model

The CUPRA Raval lineup includes a top version with the same power configuration as the ID. Polo GTI, which will also be offered at the beginning of next year 2027 on board the ID. Cross. Volkswagen, for now, keeps silent, but our internal informants have led us to reflect their innovations in these renderings.

Some unofficial previews in which the specific ingredients of the sporty and high-end R-Line trim can be seen. This has been the choice of the German brand to represent this high-performance version that will crown the ID. Cross range, which will not receive any GTI badges under any circumstances.

This new Volkswagen ID. Cross R-Line will have a very changed front compared to the “Style” trim, today the highest in the range, and featuring a front bumper equipped with a large grille that will practically occupy its entire surface. The vertical elements will be maintained, all painted in glossy black.

Greater distinction in the interior of the Volkswagen ID. Cross R-Line

Just like the inserts in the lower part of the door panels, the headlight frame, the windshield pillars, the lower part of the mirror housings, the roof rails, or the 19-inch alloy wheels. Of course, the initial of this special trim will be present under the mirrors, on the front door panel.

Inside, the ID. Cross R-Line will also look slightly different, with details in glossy black, front seats with greater lateral support to hold the body on winding roads, with the integrated headrests simulating a kind of bucket seats.

As usual, the decorative stitching will be contrasting, and the R-Line logos will be embroidered.

Something more than makeup in the new ID. Cross R-Line

The new Volkswagen ID. Cross R-Line will also receive improvements in the chassis, just enough to absorb the small extra power (15 hp) that the electric motor will transmit. This electric SUV is already on sale with 211 hp and will reach 226 hp.

Nothing out of this world, although that extra will slightly affect the lithium-ion battery (NMC) with 52 kWh of usable net capacity, so the maximum range with one charge, barring surprises, will not exceed 440 kilometers.

The most powerful ID. Cross for over 40,000 euros

This version of the ID. Cross will also be manufactured in Spain, at the Landaben plant (Navarra), for which a price slightly above 40,000 euros before subsidies is expected. Volkswagen keeps silent, but its intention is to announce this ID. Cross R-Line in the first quarter of 2027, with a possible debut at the Brussels Motor Show. The delivery of the first units is scheduled for late spring.

The brand with the silver arrows had big ambitions that it announced at the beginning of 2023, but in less than four years it has decided to sell its entire network to a French operator.

If we go back to 2023, we will remember how Mercedes - still at that moment of excitement and optimism in the electric car boom, before the reality check that the following year turned out to be - announced its grand plan for the whole world. A gigantic network of ultra-fast chargers that by 2030 would exceed more than 10,000 chargers, gathered in 2,000 different points. Of those 10,000, about 2,000 would be in Europe.

A global investment that exceeded a billion euros, focusing especially on Germany and France as the main European powers. What has happened to that plan? The reality is that the 47 stations it operated until now across Europe have been sold to the French operator Electra, according to reports from the German newspaper Handelsblatt on November 3, a network primarily focused on central Europe and that has not even had time to reach Spain.

Mercedes sells its 47 charging stations in Europe to Electra

The original idea was to expand across Europe with chargers that were available for electric cars of all brands, but offering interesting advantages for Mercedes-Benz customers. Let's remember that at that time the EQS had already been presented as the electric flagship, the BEV alternative to the S-Class, and both the EQE sedan and the EQE SUV along with the rest of the range, the EQA, EQB, and EQC were arriving in the market.

However, even then, it could be sensed that this optimism had gotten ahead of the market reality - in fact, the EQC would cease to be manufactured that same year. Not to mention how much the world has changed since then in geopolitical terms, also affecting Mercedes-Benz regarding what is happening in Europe, especially in Germany and, of course, the evolution of the Chinese market - the case of tariffs from the United States not so much, since their high-end SUVs are manufactured at their plant in Alabama (in fact, their first major factory outside Germany).

A situation that requires focusing on the core business

The investment required for this gigantic network - acquiring the necessary land, infrastructure, the charging devices themselves... and maintaining them over time. All of this seems incompatible with a reality of cost control and the need to focus on the core business, something that even premium brands cannot escape - as even BMW has had to cut here and there throughout this year, despite the success of its new models in the Neue Klasse, particularly an iX3 nominated for Car of the Year in Europe.

Seen this way, it is not so different from what the Volkswagen group has had to do with several subsidiary companies or connected to Porsche. A decision that, on one hand, makes sense, but on the other hand raises doubts about whether it was worth developing its own network considering that they were already participating in the Ionity network, which is one of the most widespread in Spain. And, in the case of chargers, being the direct operator instead of relying on intermediaries presents a series of important advantages.

Electra already exceeds 800 stations in Europe

Electra, for its part, acquires 47 charging stations, of which 31 are in Germany (where before this acquisition it already had about 50). Another six are in Austria, while the remaining ten are spread across France and the rest of Europe (Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Romania). In total, Electra is already present in 10 European countries, with more than 800 stations and more than 5,000 charging points. In other words, they are not closing down by any means, just changing the operator's hands.

The intention of the French company is to continue growing with the goal of reaching 15,000 rapid charging points throughout the Old Continent by 2030 - for next year they will invest about 200 million euros with this goal. Germany and the whole central and northern Europe area make the most sense to invest in these moments considering the adoption of electric cars in these markets.

Electra in Spain

At the moment, within the scope of our country Electra focuses its charging points network in the two major cities, in Madrid and Barcelona, with 8 and 7 points respectively. In the rest of our geography, it currently has three active points: one north of Seville, another east of Cartagena (Murcia), and one more south of Valencia.

The British ex-driver believes that the new world champion has the talent to make a mark, but adds a condition: to prove that he can also dominate when Mercedes does not have the most competitive car.

Johnny Herbert believes that Kimi Antonelli has the potential to become one of the great champions of Formula 1, but he thinks he still needs to demonstrate a quality that distinguishes the most special drivers. The British ex-driver wonders if the Italian will be able to make a difference when he does not have the best car on the grid, as Fernando Alonso, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher have done.

The talent of Kimi Antonelli is not in question for Herbert. His youth, speed, and ability to compete at the highest level allow him to have a much broader horizon than his main rivals. The British driver believes that the Italian has a considerable advantage when it comes to building his résumé.

«At 20 years old, he could reach 30, and he still has another 10 years ahead. He has much more time than everyone else. Vettel was 23 when he won. So, in any case, he has a three-year advantage. He has a four-year advantage over Max [Verstappen], and Max has already won his four titles. He has enormous, enormous potential», he assures in statements to BetBrothers.

However, Herbert introduces a variable that he considers fundamental for assessing the true dimension of a driver. It is not enough to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a winning car. One must also know how to make the most of a less competitive machine and compensate for its limitations with talent behind the wheel.

«There's always a 'but'. You always have to have the right car at the right time. Will he be able to get the maximum out of a car that might not be up to par, as we've seen with Alonso, Senna, and Schumacher?», Herbert asks?

Alonso, Senna, and Schumacher have shown at different stages of their careers that they could compete beyond their cars' capabilities. It is precisely that ability that Herbert raises as the big unknown that Antonelli will have to resolve as his career progresses.

Antonelli leads the generational change in Formula 1

Herbert also believes that Antonelli's arrival is part of a generational renewal process that periodically recurs in Formula 1. The Brit recalls how, in the early 90s, several drivers who would later play a leading role in the championship coincided on the grid.

«There has always been a change, a wave of drivers every few years. When I arrived, Jean Alesi came; Michael Schumacher arrived a bit later. Damon Hill also arrived. Mika Häkkinen arrived. So, in the early 90s, there was a whole avalanche of talent, and some of those names went on to win world championships, for example. Jacques Villeneuve was another of them», the Brit recalls.

In his opinion, Formula 1 is currently experiencing a similar transition, with drivers who have been joining the category and others who have already begun to establish themselves among the main protagonists.

«There are always those small periods of five, six, or seven years where it seems that this new generation arrives, the changeover. And we are undoubtedly in that kind of changeover, he points out.

«We are seeing it, in a way, with Lando [Norris] and George [Russell], who are still relatively young, but we are already seeing them. We see the Bortoletos coming into the sport. We see the Bearmans coming into the sport. Arvid Lindblad is coming up right now. Colapinto, too. And then there's Kimi, who has just shown that he is the number one, he adds.

Herbert doesn't downplay the merits of the Mercedes, which he considers possibly the best car, but he reminds us that having a good car does not automatically guarantee outstanding performance. One must also know how to take advantage of it.

«He has literally left everyone speechless. Yes, he probably has the best car, but there you have to be able to drive that best car, and he has been able to do it. All this is fantastic for a Mercedes driver, but maybe not for the other: George Russell».

Russell needs to improve his race pace

The emergence of Antonelli has also put George Russell in a complicated situation within Mercedes. Herbert believes that the Brit has had bad luck at different times, but he thinks he must also analyze his own weaknesses if he wants to regain ground against his teammate.

«Russell has just taken it as a bad experience and focused on the next year. He has shown that he has natural speed. And he has had bad luck. Things haven't gone entirely his way. We even saw it in Mexico, going into the first corner. He was losing power. The car wasn't generating the power it should have generated. Three or four drivers passed him», he exemplifies.

Still, Herbert believes that the difference between them is also related to the confidence and dynamic generated when a driver strings together good results. In his opinion, Antonelli has managed to leverage that positive momentum to gain psychological and sporting ground.

«Sometimes you have to earn your luck. Sometimes it works out. But if you come out strong, reach the first races, and perform very, very well, you feel better. Your chest swells, so to speak. You feel proud of what you're doing, and then a sort of domino effect occurs. And I think that's what we saw with Kimi».

This dynamic has also increased the pressure on Russell, who has not always found a response when Antonelli has managed to recover from a complicated weekend.

«Then the pressure starts to fall on the other side of the garage, which was George. He was unlucky, but there were also moments when the performance was not up to par. Even when Kimi struggled in qualifying, he recovered strongly in the race itself».

Herbert identifies precisely race pace as one of the aspects that Russell must improve. He believes that his one-lap speed is beyond question, but it is not enough to fight for wins and championships if he cannot also translate it to Sundays.

«He has the pace in a single lap, but his race pace is very, very, very solid. And that's undoubtedly what George has to work on, because that's the only way to win races and the World Championship. You can be the fastest in qualifying and get pole position in every single Grand Prix. But if you don't know how to race, you'll never make it, concludes Johnny Herbert.

A driver was caught by a radar traveling at 228 km/h. Although he was initially sentenced for a road safety offense, justice has sided with him due to the following circumstances.

The Provincial Court of Cuenca has reversed the initial sentence against the driver of a Mercedes GLE 450d who was caught traveling at 228 km/h in April 2025. However, the circumstances at that time have completely changed the court ruling.

The driver was traveling at that speed to urgently take his sick daughter to a hospital. The latest ruling takes into account the exceptional situation of necessity that led the father to drive his vehicle at such speed.

Initial offense against road safety

The events occurred on April 17, 2025, when a man was traveling with his wife and their 11-year-old daughter from Valladolid to Cuenca. At one point during the trip, the minor began to experience very severe pain, prompting her parents to rush her to Albacete Hospital.

The fact is that the girl had been suffering from a very serious illness for more than five years: metastasis in the spine and complete loss of vision, having undergone four neurosurgery procedures in recent years, chemotherapy treatments, and experiencing frequent episodes of headaches and back pain.

And that’s what happened that day last year, when the minor began to experience severe back pain, nausea, and great agitation. The parents, fearing that their daughter was suffering from something serious, decided to increase their speed.

And so it was that a Velolaser radar from the Civil Guardcaught them at 228 km/h on a road limited to 120 km/h, although applying the margin of error, the final speed was 218.88 km/h. The case was taken to the Criminal Court Number 1 of Cuenca, which established the original ruling on June 26, 2025.

The driver was sentenced for a road safety offense, according to article 379.1 of the Penal Code, with a financial fine of 1,620 euros (nine months of fines, with a daily fee of 6 euros) and suspension of the driving license for 1 year and 1 day. As you can imagine, the father and driver appealed the sentence to the Provincial Court of Cuenca.

The judge's change of opinion

Although the Prosecutor's Office opposed the appeal and requested that the conviction be upheld, the Provincial Court of Cuenca has now considered that there was an exceptional situation of necessity, according to the new ruling of September 15, 2026.

Here, article 20.5 of the Penal Code has been applied, which establishes the so-called exemption of state of necessity, which stipulates that a person may be exempt from criminal liability when committing a criminal act to avoid an external or personal harm, provided certain conditions are met.

The law states that the harm caused must not be greater than that which is intended to be avoided, that the situation of necessity must not have been intentionally provoked, or that the person acting does not have an obligation to sacrifice themselves due to their position or profession.

In this specific case, justice has considered that the health and physical integrity of the girl were in danger, and that the parents had more than reasonable grounds to believe it could be something serious.

And although the minor was eventually treated for pain in the area of the metastasis in her back, without particularly serious complications, the Court considers that the fact of ending up “with a scare” does not mean that the parents' concern was unjustified.

However, the ruling of the Provincial Court of Cuenca is not final and there is still the possibility of a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court.

The case should not be seen as the state of necessity being a “get out of jail free card”: drivers cannot justify speeding by claiming family urgency, but the circumstances must be substantiated and the legal conditions we mentioned earlier must be met.

BYD will try to surpass the record this November on a long straight road in the United Arab Emirates, as commented this summer by Vice President Stella Li and confirmed by another senior executive.

BYD continues its ambition for its most extreme production car, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, to reach and exceed 500 km/h. However, in its most recent tests they encountered a serious setback, with a severe accident that wrecked a unit of the model costing nearly 2.7 million euros (20 million yuan at current exchange rates).

By 2025, the car had already drawn attention not only for its performance, but for its intentions: it had already reached a speed of 496.22 km/h on the Papenburg test track with professional driver Marc Basseng at the wheel. It also recorded a time of 6:59.157 at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in October 2025, surpassing the time of the production version of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra (7:04.957, although a prototype version was much faster, recording 6:22.091).

Yangwang U9 Xtreme Accident in China

At that time we were talking about a ‘production’ car, yes, although a short series: 30 units for the whole world at a price of nearly 2.7 million euros. It’s no surprise, as we’re talking about a beast with 2,977 hp (thanks to a system of four motors, one on each wheel) that, if it goes out of control, things can get ugly. And that’s exactly what happened during a test in China.

During a test on a long straight, the U9 Xtreme lost control and crashed into the wall (possibly due to a puncture, something on the asphalt, or a failure of the active suspension, but the first is the most common in these cases). The car bounced from the left side to the right and hit the wall again, spinning several times before coming to a stop.

Safety Tested During the Tests

In the impact, several aspects were observed: first, that the 80 kWh battery located at the bottom of the vehicle did not catch fire despite the force of the impact (though the angle of the impact helped, thus mitigating the force experienced). Whereas the crumple zones were destroyed, the cabin protected the test driver and he, although requiring assistance, emerged from the accident unscathed - in fact, he walked out on his own from the U9 Xtreme.

The rear axle was the first to detach from the rest of the car. An extra detail of the car is that, despite being a production model, it uses GitiSport e·Gtr2 Pro tires (i.e. semi-slick tires designed for vehicles of this type) with 20-inch wheels. It also features a special aerodynamic kit, notable for the size of the rear wing.

The Goal is to Record Its Mark in the United Arab Emirates

Obviously, this won’t stop BYD’s attempts. The goal, as announced last July by the group’s Vice President and head in Europe Stella Li, is to reach 500 km/h. This will happen this November and the chosen location will be in the United Arab Emirates (also confirmed by Yangwang’s general sales manager, Hu Xiaoqing), requiring a large space to achieve maximum speed… and then have a place to brake safely.

That’s why locations like Papenburg (with an oval of 12.3 km and 4 km straights on each side) or Nardo, in Italy (in this case with a length of 12.5 km) are usually used. In the UAE, they will look for a straight of 15 km in length where they will also have to consider other variables, such as the asphalt surface, wind, aerodynamic stability, or weather conditions.

Renault celebrates its 75 years of history in Spain with a limited edition for its "most Spanish" models. The Renault Captur and Renault Austral launch the 75th anniversary limited edition that combines design, technology, and enhanced equipment. They are already on sale.

Renault does not stop the celebrations for its 75th anniversary in Spain. With more than half a century of history linked to the Spanish automotive industry, Renault is one of the car manufacturers with the greatest presence in the Spanish landscape. And to celebrate such an important anniversary as it deserves, Renault has announced a new and very interesting limited edition for its "most Spanish" models.

The Renault Captur and Renault Austral launch the 75th anniversary limited edition. It is already available for sale and stands out for combining design, technology, and enhanced equipment. There will be a limited number of units of each model and each one will be delivered with a welcome pack containing a unique detail along with 500 euros gift for refueling LPG and gasoline at Repsol service stations.

New Renault Captur 75 Anniversary, for less than €20,000 and with ECO label

We begin the review of these limited editions by focusing on the new Renault Captur 75 Anniversary. The production will be limited to 750 units and, in terms of price, it will be positioned at the entry level of the Captur range. You can check all the prices and versions of the Renault Captur in its specifications. Next, we take a look at the most outstanding standard equipment:

Renault Captur 75 Anniversary Equipment

• Multiple airbags (front, side and curtain)
• LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• LED rear light groups
• Automatic lights on and rain sensor
• Tinted rear windows
• Electrically adjustable exterior mirrors
• Interior rearview mirror with day/night function
• 7-inch digital instrument cluster
• Infotainment system with 10.4-inch touchscreen
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• USB connection
• Bluetooth
• Digital radio
• Automatic climate control
• Electric windows
• Remote central locking
• Ambient lighting system
• Fabric upholstery
• Front center armrest
• Adjustable driver’s seat height
• Adaptive cruise control and speed limiter
• Intelligent speed assistant
• Rear parking sensors
• Rearview camera
• Safety alert system
• Lane change alert and prevention
• Front emergency braking system
• Hill start assist
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Emergency call e-Call system

Price of the Renault Captur 75 Anniversary in Spain

Current prices from November / 2026 with discounts and promotions

Regarding the mechanical section, the Captur 75 Anniversary is available with only one engine option. And it brings the ECO environmental label from the DGT with the mobility advantages it entails. If we take a look under the hood, we will find a 1.2 ECO-G engine with 120 CV and 200 Nm of maximum torque. This engine can run on gasoline and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). It is managed through a six-speed manual transmission and features a front-wheel drive configuration.

New Renault Austral 75 Anniversary, hybrid technology "Made in Spain"

The "older brother" of the Captur also launches this limited edition. And it will be more exclusive. There will only be 500 units of the new Renault Austral 75 Anniversary. Starting from the evolution trim level, it offers expanded standard equipment. You can know all the trims and prices of the Renault Austral in its specifications. Next, we review the most outstanding standard equipment:

Renault Austral 75 Anniversary Equipment

• Multiple airbags (front, front center, side and curtain)
• Adaptive vision LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• LED rear light groups
• Automatic high beam headlight control
• Automatic lights on and rain sensor
• Electrically adjustable and folding exterior mirrors with heating
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Infotainment system with 9-inch touchscreen
• Navigator
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• USB connection
• Bluetooth
• Digital radio
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Electric windows
• Electric parking brake
• Remote central locking
• Front center armrest
• Front seats height adjustable
• Adjustable multifunction steering wheel in height and depth
• Front, side and rear parking sensors
• Rearview camera
• Blind spot detection and lane change prevention
• Hill start assist
• Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Parking exit warning in reverse
• Speeding alert
• Traffic sign recognition
• Emergency braking assistant
• Driver recognition system
• Lane change alert and prevention
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Emergency call e-Call system

Price of the Renault Austral 75 Anniversary in Spain

Current prices from November / 2026 with discounts and promotions

Under the hood of the Austral 75 Anniversary, there is an electrified engine. Renault bets on self-recharging hybrid mechanics (HEV). It combines a 1.2 TCe gasoline engine with two electric motors to reach 200 CV. It is managed through a multi-mode automatic transmission and a front-wheel drive system. Since it is a hybrid car, it also displays the ECO label from the DGT.

The multiple world rally champion, now focused on raids, has yet to confirm his plans for the upcoming Dakar edition. The Frenchman admits that sharing a team with Fernando Alonso is not off the table.

In recent weeks, the option for Fernando Alonso to participate in the upcoming Dakar Rally has lost momentum due to the frenzy of Formula 1 and the ongoing problems Aston Martin is having with Honda, but it remains a possibility.

It is true that the Spanish driver has publicly insisted on several occasions that balancing Formula 1 with the Dakar Rally is probably too demanding. Moreover, Alonso has always been very methodical when preparing for any competition, and this move would be made with hardly any tests. Like the one he recently did in Morocco with the Prodrive Dacia Sandrider.

However, many insiders insist that Prodrive has reached an agreement with Aston Martin to turn the last champion car into an inspiration from the Dreadnought and that one of its drivers will be Fernando Alonso.

A lot of uncertainty and few certainties

The Dakar Rally 2027 was supposed to be held in Saudi Arabia, as in the last editions. However, the war between Iran and the United States and its consequences in various parts of the Middle East have forced organizers to move it to Portugal and Morocco.

What is not clear at all is which teams several of the heavyweights in the raid world will compete for. Specifically, those who have been part of the Dacia team this last season. The contract of the Romanian brand belonging to the Renault Group with Prodrive expires this month of November, so it will be starting now when we find out where their official drivers end up.

Nasser Al-Attiyah will probably join Ford alongside Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma, while Sébastien Loeb looks set to continue with Prodrive... alongside Fernando Alonso. Something he himself has even recognized as a possibility during his presence in Asturias to pay tribute to the aforementioned Sainz.

"Perhaps this week we will know more. Another new friend from Spain. First Carlos Sainz, then Dani Sordo, and now Fernando Alonso. It's a possibility," Loeb said when asked about this matter.

The Frenchman also acknowledged that he has not had much interaction with Fernando Alonso until now: "A little. Not much. We have crossed paths a few times, but not much until now." Everything indicates that this will change from now on and that we will soon have news regarding this.

The latest Tesla earnings call left an eloquent omission. The management glossed over one of the most voted questions by its shareholders: what will happen to the millions of drivers with Hardware 3 who paid for an autonomous FSD that their cars cannot move.

During the third-quarter financial results presentation, the Say platform once again channeled the doubts of the company's small investors. Those who closely follow Tesla know the mechanism: shareholders send their questions, others vote supporting them with the weight of their shares, and management responds live to the most supported ones.

On this occasion, the fifth question with the most support accumulated 557 votes and the weight of 652,900 shares. It posed a direct question: when will users of cars with Hardware 3 processors know if they will have a free equipment replacement and when will the brand present a clear plan. However, the company's investor relations officer, Travis Axelrod, read nine questions from the portal and skipped directly over this one.

A Deliberate Jump in the List of Questions

According to the U.S. media Electrek, the omission can hardly be attributed to oversight. Tesla indeed chose to respond to questions about the revenues from the Optimus robot or the mapping for the autonomous driving system, two topics that had less supported shares on the platform than the doubt about the processor of veteran vehicles. Even the training of Optimus was addressed, a matter that didn't even rank among the top ten in the voting.

The silence contrasts with the intervention of Ashok Elluswamy, head of artificial intelligence at the company, who did answer another question about when the autonomous system without supervision would reach customers' cars. His response set the horizon for the second quarter of 2027, linked to the FSD v15 version. It is a timeline oriented to the Hardware 4 processor, leaving the previous generation in limbo.

The origin of the problem was set by Elon Musk himself in early 2026, when he admitted in another conference that Hardware 3 lacks the technical capability to enable autonomous driving without supervision. The technical reason is evident: the veteran computer barely offers an eighth of the memory bandwidth managed by Hardware 4. That statement was a cold shower for those who had purchased the package trusting the promise that their cars came equipped with everything necessary from the factory.

Previous Promises Without Defined Dates or Costs

This is not a new issue on the company's agenda, although previous responses have been vague. In April of this year, Musk spoke about the possibility of creating microfactories in large cities to replace cameras and computers, and even suggested discounts for changing vehicles. Three months later, the brand's top officer pointed out that an update would make sense at some point, hinting at jumping directly to a future board or to the new generation AI5 architecture.

To this day, there is no official budget, timeline, or replacement procedure for users. The closest these vehicles have been to recent software has been the delivery of the FSD v14 Lite version, a trimmed variant that maintains the need for constant supervision and falls far short of the originally promised capabilities.

Let’s be honest: putting figures on this update represents a first-order financial problem. Replacing processors and cameras in an estimated volume of around 4 million cars, or financially compensating their owners, implies a gigantic cost. Every word spoken in an earnings call is also recorded for the courts, where pressure on the company continues to grow.

Class Actions Tighten the Noose

The autonomous driving package was initially marketed for amounts that reached up to 15,000 dollars under the explicit premise that the vehicle had all the necessary hardware. Given the lack of practical solutions, owners have turned to the courts through class actions in the United States, China, and Australia.

In Europe, the legal front is also advancing. In the Netherlands, a class action already gathers nearly 7,000 owners of vehicles with Hardware 3 backed by a law firm. Documentation from the Dutch regulator RDW also reveals a relevant fact: Tesla has only submitted for homologation for the advanced autonomous driving functions in Europe the vehicles equipped with Hardware 4 architecture.

Ignoring the question in front of shareholders saves uncomfortable explanations during a financial conference, but does not solve the real problem on the streets. There are millions of drivers who paid upfront for a function that their current processor cannot execute, and sooner or later the brand will have to clarify whether it will assume the renewal of the equipment or leave the matter in the hands of the judges.

Header image generated by AI

Jeep has introduced a concept of the Wrangler designed for fast desert driving. It features a pick-up body, a 476 hp V8 HEMI engine and an independent front suspension that replaces the usual off-road setup.

The Wrangler Scrambler SRT Concept recovers the name and some of the inspiration from the CJ-8 Scrambler of the eighties. Jeep has conceived it to traverse uneven terrains at high speeds, with an open body, a small cargo box, and a 476 hp V8 HEMI. It also debuts an independent front suspension, an unprecedented solution in a Wrangler with these characteristics. This type of suspension allows each wheel to respond separately to bumps.

Jeep presents the vehicle as a concept of design and engineering. It has not announced a production version or a release date. Its approach moves away from the off-roader focused on overcoming obstacles at low speed and prioritizes control when driving fast in the desert.

Independent front suspension and competition rear axle

The most notable technical change is under the body. The long-travel independent front suspension has been developed with Casey Currie, an off-road competition driver. According to Jeep, it aims to improve steering precision, wheel control, and stability on uneven surfaces.

At the rear, it uses a axle inspired by Trophy Trucks, competition vehicles prepared for desert racing. Jeep has also modified the rear structure and added a safety cage. The brand has not released figures on the suspension travel, ground clearance, or top speed of the concept.

The engine is a 476 hp V8 HEMI with 637 Nm. Jeep has not specified the displacement or the transmission in its statement. The power matches that of the Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition, although this does not confirm that both models share exactly the same mechanical configuration.

Rear seats that can rotate or be removed

The body also distinguishes itself from the conventional Wrangler. Jeep has elongated the doors, redesigned the rear, and integrated a cargo box. The Punk’n orange finish and the sharknose-inspired front complete its look as a desert-ready pick-up.

The rear seats can be removed or rotated 180 degrees so that passengers face backwards. They are secured by anchors on the floor. When removed, there is space to load gear in the rear area. Jeep has not detailed the load capacity or how occupant protection varies in each configuration.

The brand thus envisions two uses for the cabin: carrying passengers in the second row or clearing the rear to transport items. It is an unusual solution in vehicles of this type and complements the integrated cargo box.

The relationship between the Wrangler and a pick-up body already exists in the Jeep Gladiator, a production model with four doors. The Scrambler SRT Concept explores a different formula, shorter and oriented to fast driving off-road.

Jeep has not confirmed whether it will bring these solutions to a production model. For now, the independent suspension, the competition rear axle, and the reversible seats are only part of this concept.

The future of the C segment icon is linked to the development of the RG EV Medium 2.0 platform, which will also be the basis for both the next generation Scénic and the electric Rafale.

The Renault Mégane has been active for five generations since its appearance over 30 years ago, replacing the Renault 19 with a recipe for every customer (hatchback, sedan, family body styles and the attractive Mégane Coupé and Cabrio). This recipe is going to change with the next generation, which we expect for 2028 and which will be based on the RG EV Medium 2.0 platform from the diamond brand.

During this year we have seen how Renault changed part of its recipe of the current Mégane E-Tech. Now the battery of the entry-level model is LFP chemistry with a capacity of 67 kWh compared to the previous version with NCM chemistry with 60 kWh (in addition to a higher level with NCM battery of 89 kWh). This way it gains a bit more range (from 430 to 467 km in WLTP mixed cycle).

The Renault Mégane will change significantly for 2028

But Renault wants to do things differently with the next Renault. First, it is expected to be different aesthetically compared to the current model, a kind of hatchback with a very raised waistline that is very different from the sporty model we knew in the previous generation. A car that seemed much closer to the spacious Scénic, although it maintains compact proportions with its 4.2 meters in length (in the case of the Scénic it is 4.47 meters).

The car has notably improved its performance and offer since its launch a few years ago, but it is not a car that has gained traction like other electric vehicles on the market - in addition to the fact that the fleet of electric cars by the end of 2026 bears no resemblance to the existing offer five years ago. Therefore, Renault is already working on the next Mégane at the brand's Technocentre in Paris.

The electric motor will move to the rear axle with the new platform

The biggest novelty is that the motor moves from the front axle to the rear, as part of the adoption of the RG EV Medium 2.0 platform. This means it will go underneath the rear seats, managing to reduce the weight and the necessary wiring in such a way that it can lighten weight while limiting costs per unit produced. A way to gain more for each unit sold, which they are paradoxically achieving more in smaller cars than in larger ones.

«Front-wheel drive is problematic for driving, height, and handling, it was very difficult to tune the current Scénic and Mégane,» said technology chief Philippe Brunet to the British media Auto Express. This platform will also be used in the future generations of the Scénic, as well as the Rafale that will also have a 100% electric variant.

It will not be a retro-looking car, like other Renault successes

These platforms will be able to provide more freedom in designing models, without having to resort to SUV height as we have seen in the Renault 8 Gordini Concept or the Alpine A310 Vision. This leads us to its look. Could we see a retro shape, a return to the style of the original Mégane or the Mégane Coupé that many fell in love with in rallies with that Maxi Kit Car version or those Mégane Supercopa and Mégane Trophy on circuits?

It does not seem to be the case: Renault seems to be aiming to separate it from the ‘retro’ Renault 5 E-Tech, Twingo E-Tech or Renault 4. According to their design chief, Laurens Van den Acker, «the design language is going to be more subdued. As you have seen in the E-Space, it’s very modern, but controlled at the same time. When the product is more expensive, cars have to become more timeless. We want to make the cars a bit more serious… but at the same time we are a Latin brand. Not as cold as the Germans or as hot-blooded as the Italians,» he stated.

More power and all-wheel-drive versions

It is expected that cars based on this platform will be offered both with a 100% electric variant and with an extended-range electric (E-REV), with a combustion engine. The BEVs aim for around 750 km of range, according to Renault's promise, while the E-REVs (series hybrids) aim to achieve around 1,400 km of range.

It is also expected that power will increase, with an electric motor raising the performance from 220 hp and 300 Nm of the current Mégane E-Tech to 275 hp and 350 Nm, in addition to all-wheel-drive versions. Not to forget that Renault's factories in Spain, the one in Valladolid and Palencia, will have a lot to do with the future of the brand's electric cars as they already have future models assigned.

The Italian climbed onto the podium after a fantastic pass on Charles Leclerc and is crowned the youngest champion in history. Verstappen took advantage of a penalty to Leclerc and fended off attacks from Hamilton. Bad day for Sainz and new retirement for Alonso.

What seemed like an unbeatable record, just "16 years ago," fell on November 1, 2026. And perhaps it is no longer unbeatable, but the margin is very narrow. In his second season as a Formula 1 driver, only two months after turning 20, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has completed his emergence to become the Formula 1 world champion, giving Italy its fourth drivers' title and the first since the distant second championship of Alberto Ascari in 1953. He achieved this at the Mexican Grand Prix, where he finished third in a thrilling race won by Max Verstappen.

Knowing the importance of keeping the first position at the start, Lewis Hamilton perfectly executed his launch, with George Russell in his slipstream. However, the Brit suffered a partial power loss well before braking, and was summarily overtaken by Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Antonelli. With the option to become the leader, Leclerc attacked his teammate with all his might, first in turn 1 unsuccessfully, and then in turn 4.

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Here, controversy arose, as Leclerc, going on the outside, ended up making the turn on the grass, rejoining in first position, while Verstappen took advantage of the situation to pass Hamilton at the next corner, making it difficult for Ferrari to order Leclerc to return positions. In the replay, it was noted that Leclerc was partly forced by the delayed braking of a Hamilton who also briefly went off track. As the pack passed through turn 5, there was another incident when Isack Hadjar was spun out by a Russell who was desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

These incidents were not penalized until lap 13, with just five seconds of penalty for Leclerc and another ten for Russell. Prior to that, Leclerc had already opened a three-second gap over a Verstappen who had chosen to start on medium tires. Behind, Franco Colapinto had a blazing start to move into seventh behind Arvid Lindblad, although both were eventually passed by the two McLarens. Carlos Sainz, for his part, was running in 16th place, having lost position to his teammate Alexander Albon.

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Aston Martin's race lasted just seven laps, in another great farce of the 2026 season for the Silverstone team. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll came into the pits after just four laps, revealing the anticipated serious cooling problem. Alonso ended up parking the car in his garage, while Stroll was left stranded on the track, causing a Virtual Safety Car period. From then on, the race went on without too many surprises during its first stint.

After 21 laps, Leclerc reached a five-second margin over Verstappen, but this did not grow or even slightly decreased. On lap 28, one lap after Piastri started the stops for the leaders, both leaders came into the pits, and Verstappen managed to exit ahead of the Monegasque. Meanwhile, Norris had managed to catch up to Russell, who was about six seconds behind Antonelli until he made his stop on lap 34. Seeking to gain position over his countryman, the McLaren driver stopped six laps later and achieved his goal, despite a slow stop due to overshooting the brake.

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Antonelli's stop finally came on lap 44, leaving Verstappen in the lead with a two-second margin over Leclerc, who had a similar margin over Hamilton. Half a minute later, Valtteri Bottas suffered a severe accident when his suspension suddenly broke during braking at turn 1, crashing backwards into the escape barriers. The Finnish driver, with some caution, ended up getting out of the car on his own, but soon after a red flag was thrown following the appearance of the Safety Car.

Hamilton, Russell, and Piastri had taken advantage of the Safety Car to make a second stop, whose effect was completely nullified by the red flag. Initially, Hamilton had lost third place to Antonelli, and Piastri seventh to Lindblad, but it was determined that the order for the restart would be the same as the previous lap, returning these drivers to their previous positions, although all would now have new tires, with everyone choosing to mount soft compounds.

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Leclerc not only had no opportunity to attack Verstappen on the second restart, but was also overtaken by Hamilton and flat-spotted his left front tire under braking. Hamilton, predictably, was briefly forced off the track by the leader when both attempted to enter parallel into the first corner, including a slight touch. In fact, Verstappen was briefly investigated for having started outside his box, but this was quickly dismissed. To top it off, Leclerc lost another position at the start of the next lap thanks to a fantastic late braking by Antonelli.

Penalties were indeed received by Nico Hülkenberg for a collision with Oliver Bearman, who ended up retiring from the race, and Sergio Pérez for a speeding infraction in the pit lane prior to the red flag. Verstappen maintained a margin of just over a second over Hamilton, while Leclerc defended himself as best he could from Norris with his flat-spotted tire. Piastri had lost position to Lindblad on the restart, and while trying to recover it on lap 59, he collided with the Racing Bulls driver, who ended up against the wall with significant damage to both left suspensions. Second Safety Car inbound.

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Restarting the race four laps later, Verstappen denied Hamilton any options and although he closed to just over half a second, he found no way to pressure the Dutchman, whose third victory in four races propels him to second place in the standings. Hamilton scored his seventh podium of the year, nine fewer than an Antonelli who has only missed a top-three position three times this year. Meanwhile, Leclerc held off countless attempts from Norris, including at the last corner, to retain fourth place.

Meanwhile, sixth place means that Russell, who was only considered a few months ago as the only real title contender, falls to fourth in the standings behind Hamilton, with Leclerc getting closer. Behind Piastri, Colapinto won the midfield battle, over Liam Lawson, who maximized every opportunity to gain positions despite starting from the pit lane, taking advantage of a mistake from Pierre Gasly in the restart to steal a point. Sainz also lost ground at that juncture, finishing in fifteenth place, while debutant Ryo Hirakawa finished in 13th place.

For the second consecutive year, Formula 1 celebrates a new champion, someone who, undoubtedly, has done all the necessary merits to fully take advantage of the best car on the grid. Antonelli has early on responded to critics who considered his promotion accelerated and too well positioned, and has validated the trust of Toto Wolff, who did not want to let another Verstappen slip away at any cost. It's still early, but the decision seems to have yielded enough dividends for now. Only time will tell if he is in a position to rewrite the history books.